Unite 4 Veterans Coalition Statement: Stop Dishonoring Veterans with Broken Promises and Empty Gestures

Washington, D.C. — Unite 4 Veterans Coalition stands in firm opposition to recent actions and proposals from the White House that amount to political theater at the direct expense of our nation’s veterans. At a time when our community needs strong leadership and a commitment to the promises made to those who served, we are instead witnessing decisions that signal disregard, abandonment, and a fundamental misunderstanding of veterans’ needs.

Talk of renaming Veterans Day is not just tone-deaf—it’s offensive. It reflects a lack of connection with the experiences, values, and sacrifices of the more than 14 million veterans living in America today. Patriotic gestures mean little when the real needs of veterans are ignored or undermined. Slogans don’t pay the bills, and parades don’t treat PTSD. What veterans need—and what they’ve earned—is action, not empty symbolism.

The administration’s proposal to eliminate more than 80,000 positions from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and terminate thousands of jobs held by veterans and their families in the federal workforce is a betrayal. Veterans make up more than a third of the federal workforce. Cutting their positions while simultaneously gutting the VA staff that manages transition programs like the G.I. Bill and VA vocational rehabilitation is not about efficiency—it’s about neglect.

This administration’s priorities could not be clearer: spend over $50 million on a military parade while slashing programs like the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program—a proven resource that kept over 17,000 vulnerable veteran families housed. This is not sound policy; it is political optics at the expense of those who’ve sacrificed the most.

Let us be clear: veterans are not seeking special treatment. We are demanding the fulfillment of basic promises. That means protecting jobs, ensuring access to health care and mental health support, strengthening educational and vocational programs, securing housing stability, and investing in a fully staffed, well-functioning VA.

The veteran community is united and paying attention. We see through the headlines and ceremonies. We measure leadership not by flag-waving, but by follow-through. And right now, that follow-through is missing.

We call on the president and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to reverse course—immediately. Listen to those who’ve worn the uniform. Respect the gravity of their service. And most importantly, honor the promises our nation made to them—not with fanfare, but with action.